The ‘Fast & Furious’ Gang Takes an Emotional Victory Lap at Cannes

The biggest, buzziest, and most emotional screening at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival wasn’t a foreign art-house film or a future Oscar-nominated movie. While much of the talk out of the South of France this week has been about Hollywood and the major studios opting to skip the prestigious celebration of cinema, one blockbuster franchise wasn’t afraid to race onto the Croisette: Fast & Furious.It’s just after 2 a.m. at Cannes, and tears are rolling down Vin Diesel’s face. Known for playing macho action hero Dominic Toretto, the 58-year-old actor is letting his feelings pour out of him. The credits have just rolled on a special 25th-anniversary midnight “classics” presentation of Diesel’s star-making vehicle, 2001’s The Fast and the Furious, and he’s almost speechless after watching his late costar Paul Walker. (Emphasis on almost, because this is the second five-minute-plus monologue Diesel has delivered this evening; earlier, when longtime festival director Thierry Frémaux tried to cut off Diesel to start the screening, Diesel jokingly declared, “F— the film,” and kept going.)“I pray that in your life you get to have a brother like Paul,” he says, as fellow Fast OG Michelle Rodriguez wipes tears from his face. “I can't even believe you want to see me f—ing cry. You must want to go home.”No one does. Those who weren’t able to score the hottest ticket of the festival instead lined up outside to catch a glimpse of the Fast stars, and Diesel rewarded their passion by signing any item handed his way and posing for countless selfies. Diesel’s publicist had to literally pull him away as his costars and the cameras awaited his red carpet arrival.When you have to hit the Cannes red carpet at 7 and race through the streets of Monaco at 9: Meadow Walker, Jordana Brewster, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Fast producer Neal H. Moritz. JB Lacroix/Getty ImagesThe ride-or-die Fast fans inside the theater hung on Diesel’s every word, giving him the classic extended Cannes standing ovation and showering him with emotional support in a vulnerable moment. “Why do you have to show the world how human you are?” Diesel asked himself, as he teared up. One audience member quickly filled the silence that followed, yelling “Crying is beautiful!”; someone else began singing “See You Again,” the record-breaking Charlie Puth/Wiz Khalifa hit written to send off Walker and his character Brian in Furious 7 in the wake of the actor’s tragic death. “You all have good hearts,” Diesel replied.It might sound odd to anyone who thinks of him solely as a man who makes cars fly and the voice of a talking tree, but this Cannes trip was a homecoming for Diesel. His career began when he took his struggles as a biracial actor in New York City and turned it into the 1994 short film Multi-Facial. Made for $3,000, the project was presented at Cannes, and caught the attention of high-profile fans like Steven Spielberg, who subsequently cast Diesel in Saving Private Ryan, the first major role of his career.Diesel flashed back to his humble beginnings when he recounted a conversation he had earlier in the day with Frémaux “that I'll never forget”: “You said to me, ‘Vin, you came here 31 years ago as a director, writer, and actor of a short film. You had a laundry bag as a suitcase. No one in the world knew you. The reason why it's so special that you're here now is because, in my mind, you, Vin, were born in Cannes.’”Adding to the warmth in the room was the presence of Walker’s daughter, Meadow, who Diesel called a “source of strength.” The 27-year-old model appeared in the last Fast installment, but, more importantly, she has become a family member to the cast. Diesel walked her down the aisle when she got married, and she clung to her dad’s onscreen love interest, Jordana Brewster, during Diesel’s soliloquy. “I know he would be so proud of you,” Diesel told Meadow of her father. “I love you forever.”Fast’s presence in Cannes might have been a salute to the past, but Diesel never misses a chance to hype up the future. Much uncertainty had surrounded the franchise over the last few years, after the disappointing performance of 2023’s Fast X. But, in January, Universal finally announced a March 2028 release date for the 11th and final Fast film: Fast Forever. And then, this week, Diesel announced at the NBC Upfronts that four Fast Universe shows are in the works at Peacock (although the streamer is only currently confirming one series.)Victor Lochon/Getty ImagesAt a festival known for high-end fashion and style, Diesel sported a classic black suit…with a bedazzled “Fast Forever” logo on the back, turning the actor into a walking billboard for the franchise. “The only reason why we're making the finale of Fast for 2028 is because of each and every one of you that has given us your hearts and your loyalty,” Diesel proclaimed to the packed theater. “Each and every one of you that has felt like you are a part of our family, you make us have to continue. You make us want to make you all proud.”Who knows—maybe this is the start of a 2029 Oscar campaign.